I keep thinking of random players who I though were going to turn into something, and wondering whatever happened to them.
Matt Derbyshire
Why should we know him?
After briefly playing non-league for Darwin and Great Harwood Town, at the age of 17 he turned down Manchester United to instead join Blackburn Rovers, where he hoped he would get more first team opportunities.
After brief, but successful loans spells with Plymouth (12/0) and Wrexham (16/10,) he broke through at Blackburn in the second half of the 2006/7 season at the age of 21, ending the season with 9 goals from 14 starts.
I always just remembered him being not particular quick, not a particularly big or strong... but just always in the right place and with a tidy finish - a little bit like Robbie Fowler, everything appeared very natural to him. I genuinely though he would go on the bigger and brighter things.
So, what happened to him?
Derbyshire did well at Blackburn under Mark Hughes and then later Paul Ince, however, the arrival of Sam Allardyce saw Derbyshire's first-team opportunities limited. After joining Greek outfit Olympiacos on loan, Derbyshire revealed, "Mark Hughes had been great, Paul Ince had been OK but under Sam Allardyce I got no respect at all. I know I was a young player but he treated me like someone who had never given anything to the club. I just wasn't involved. At my age I have to play to get better, so I asked my agent if he could get me a move. About a month later he came back and said, 'Olympiacos are very interested.'"
During this loan spell with Olympiacos, in which he scored 5 in 7, he scored his first goal against bitter rivals PAOK Salonika, and then most memorably a couple in the Greek Cup Final. With Olympiacos 2-0 at half time to rivals AEK Athens, Derbyshire was introduced at half-time and scored immediately after the break to make it 2-1. He then completed the comeback in injury time, scoring his second goal to force the game into extra-time. Olympiacos went on to win the game on penalties, and Derbyshire's performance and goals thrust him into the limelight and brought him instant cult hero status, earning the nickname The English Killer. At the end of the season Olympiacos paid £3m to make the move permanent.
After just three season in Greece (which included a loan spell at Birmingham City (20/3), new Olympiacos coach Ernesto Valverde told Derbyshire that he was no longer required at the club.
He joined Nottingham Forest on a 3yr deal for an undisclosed fee in the summer of 2011, stating his desire to play first-team football.
He went on the play 51 games for Forest, finding the net 12 times. During his Forest career, he spent loan time with Oldham (20/6) and Blackpool (12/0)
Where is he now?
In May 2014 Derbyshire joined Rotherham United for free, signing a 2yr contract. He has gone on to make 55 appearances, scoring 13 goals.
Still only 29, he is very much still playing for Rotherham, having appeared in 19 so far this season.
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